"She's beautiful, Godric," Mrs. Gryffindor says to her husband.  Godric nods and watches her wife and baby.  

"What will we name her?" He asks.  Mrs. Gryffindor strokes her baby's bare head, thinking for a moment.  "Lilac," she says. "It goes with her eyes."  Godric looks closer at his daughter.  He then sees that her eyes are not only blue, but lilac color too towards the pupils.  

"Lilac Gryffindor," he sighs.  "My daughter, Lilac Gryffindor."

"Lilac," Mrs. Gryffindor says.  "Lilac.  Lilac! Wake up!"  Lilac jerks awake and out of her dream.  She sees her mother standing above her.  "We must go, we can not miss getting you to Hogwarts, m'dear.  You'll make your father late!" Mrs. Gryffindor runs out of the room.  Lilac sits up and stretches.  She pulls on her robes for school, making sure to rub the Gryffindor symble.  She rolls her case out of her room into the kitchen.

"Eat quick m'dear.  We must be going," Mrs. Gryffindor says handing Lilac a bowl of steaming stew.  "And do something with that dreadful hair! Here," she gives a flick of her wand and Lilac's sleek, brown hair is pushed back in a ponytail.  Draining the last few drops of her stew, she stands up and pushes her case over to the burning fire.  

"I'll take the bowl, m'dear," Mrs. Gryffindor say reaching a hand out for the bowl.  Lilac hands it over and faces the fire.  Have they forgotten? she thinks, I am seventeen now.  But Mrs. Gryffindor just scurries off to kiss her husband goodbye and heads into the back room.

"Come, Lilac, we mustn't be late," Godric says stepping into the fire.  He disappears in an instant.  Lilac grabs her case and walks into the fire too.  She spins and her stomach lurches as she catches glimpses of different fireplaces flying by.  She hits hard ground and steps out of the fire.  Godric hurries over to her and wipes some ash off her robes.

"Lilac, I apologise for your mother, she has a lot on her mind," Godric says.

"Excuse me?" Lilac says a little confused.

"She forgot to say happy birthday.  So, this is from her and I, open it later when you are alone," Godric says handing his daughter a small box. "Keep it safe m'girl.  I love you but I must be running off, I do not want to be late and nor do you!" Godric scurries off through the door and down the hall.  More people pop through the few fireplaces. Lilac heads through the big oak doors and up a marble staircase to the Gryffindor common room.  At three this afternoon there will be a special sorting and feast, but for now, students can roam the grounds and do what they please.

When Lilac reaches the common room, she heads up the girls' dormitory.  Once in her room she takes the small box and looks at it for a moment before deciding to open it.  As she takes the paper off and opens the box, her friend Irene and her sister Claire come in.

"Oi, Lilac! How was the holidays?" Irene says plopping down on the bed next to Lilac.

"Boring as usual. Nothing much to do," Lilac responds.  Claire sits next to her sister, "We went to Romania. To visit daddy at his work.  We got to see dragons!" Claire is a second year this year so she should be with her year, but they made an exception for her to stay with her sister and friends. 

"Oi! What might that be?" Irene says pointing at the box.

"Oh, nothing, something from my parents," Lilac says slipping it into the drawer in her nightstand. Claire looks intently at the drawer that the box is in.  "So, want to visit Margo?"

"Who's Margo?" Claire says jumping up.  Irene laughs, "He is the gamekeeper, silly. You sould know that!" Irene starts to tickle Claire.  Lilac gets the feeling that she won't be able to open the box anytime soon.